Gable top paperboard containers have long been the containers of choice for refrigerated beverages, such as dairy products, orange juices, and the like. In the past, the method of discharging the liquid from a gable top container had been to tear open the sealed ridge of the gable top and pull out a foldable pour spout. However, this practice is objectionable because of the considerable manual effort involved, the hygienic problems arising from the direct manipulation of the pour spout panels from which the liquid is dispensed, and the inability to fully reseal the container, which may result in spillage and/or premature spoilage of the liquid stored therein.
In response to the problems inherent in traditional gable top paperboard container constructions, most producers have begun to employ a resealable fitment type pour spout on the containers. Such pour spouts are usually formed of plastic and attached to one of the slanted panels of the gable top over a pre-cut opening. In such constructions, the spout is conventionally provided with a screw cap closure. For dispensing with this type of container, the user unscrews the cap and removes an internal seal. Unfortunately, the removal of these internal seals is not an easy task for many people.
For many years, the most popular type of internal seal was a foil sheet that was bonded to the spout and peeled off by the user. However, these seals were very difficult to grasp, especially by those with limited manual dexterity, making them difficult to remove. Thus, it was common for users to simply pierce these seals with a knife or other object, which often caused them to fall into the container. Further, the cost of affixing an additional seal to the plastic spout was relatively high compared to the overall cost of the packaging.
In response to the problems associated with foil seals, a number of companies developed pour spouts with integral seals. Examples of these are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,486; 5,735,426 and 6,390,342. These spouts with integral seals are the most popular type of resealable pour spouts on the market today and each includes a scored area around the inside rim of the spout and a ring that is grasped by the user and pulled upward to break the seal along the score line. Because the ring must fit within the closed cap during storage, it does not extend a great distance above the spout when it is exposed, preventing the user from gaining significant leverage. Further, because of the type of plastic used in the manufacture of the spouts, and the need for the spout to be hermetically sealed during storage, it requires a significant amount of force to break the seal along the score line. The combination of the lack of leverage that can be exerted on the ring and the high force required to break the seal makes the task difficult, if not impossible, for many people. Finally, the high force required to break the seal, coupled with the fact that only a single finger may be inserted into the ring, often causes pain or other discomfort to the user's finger.
Similar problems were experienced in the past in connection with the removal of pull tops from beer and soft drink cans prior to their universal redesign in the 1970's. In response to these problems, a number of hand-operated tools were developed to allow the tops to be more easily removed. However, none of these are adapted to remove the integral seals of resealable pour spouts attached to today's gable top containers.
One example of such a tool is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,626, titled “Opener device for sealed cans”. This patent discloses a rod-like tool having a handle on one end and a series of notches on the opposite end. One of the notches at the end opposite the handle hooks into the pull-tab and the other notches are on the opposite side and serve as a holding means on the rim of the can be opened and concurrently as a fulcrum point for the lever action to lift the pull-tab and thereby opening the can.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,626 appears to be effective at removing pull-tabs from metal cans. However, it is not adapted for use in removing the seals from pour spouts attached to gable top containers. First, the device uses notches on the rod to hold onto the rim of the can and act to hold it in place and to serve as a fulcrum. While a can is sufficiently rigid to allow it to be used as a stable fulcrum point for the rod, a gable top container is not sufficiently rigid and, even if the rod could be adapted to grip some portion of the container, the gable top would collapse under the force exerted thereby. In addition, the fact that the rod is a straight rod makes it unsuited for insertion within the ring of the seal of the pour top spout. This is due to the insufficient clearance between the rod and the gable top, which makes it difficult or impossible for the user to grasp the rod and exert a reasonable amount of force thereon and limits how far the rod may be angled without contacting and collapsing the gable top of the container.
Another example of a tool for removing pull-tops is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,794, titled “Opening device for cans having tear-away closure panels with ring tabs”. This patent discloses an opening device for cans, such as soup cans, canned fruits, and the like, which have a tear-away closure panel that is defined by a circular score line adjacent the rim of the can. The device has a generally circular perimeter, a handle opposite the perimeter, and a recess in the perimeter formed by a narrow mouth and two opposed prongs. The opener is operated by wedging a prong beneath the ring tab to pry it upwardly and break the score line at one end. Then the device is rolled toward the opposite side of the can, pulling the closure panel upwardly while continuing to break the score line until the closure panel is removed from the can.
As was the case with the opener of U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,626, the opener of U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,794 requires that the opener contact the can and use it to generate the force required to break the score line of the seal. Therefore, it also may only be used on rigid cans. Further, although it has a handle that is accessible by the user's hand, the recess that is used to engage the ring of the can is not readily adapted for gripping and pulling the ring of the seal of the pour top spout in an upward direction, as is required if the seal is to be removed without the device contacting the container.
Still another example of a tool for removing pull-tops is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,778, titled “Can opener for pull top cans”. This patent discloses an opener tool manufactured of a substantially flat piece of metal that has a working end, a convexly curved underside portion and a handle. The working end is dimensioned for insertion under the ring portion of a pull-tab without lifting the pull-tab ring sufficiently to break the seal of the can top and has a smaller width than the curved portion, which acts a stop element for limiting insertion of the working end through the finger opening of the ring. In operation, the working end of the devices is inserted under the ring portion of the pull-tab, the curved portion engages the top of the can, and the handle is rotated such that the curved portion acts as a fulcrum for the working end, which moves upward to remove the pull-tab.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,778 is similar to those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,241,626 and 5,309,794 insofar as it requires that the opener contact the can and use it to generate the force required to break the score line of the seal. Therefore, it also may only be used on rigid cans. Further, as the stop element prevents the pull-tab from resting within the curved central portion and the working end is not adapted to effectively grasp the pull-top when at an angle other than that created by the intended fulcrum action, it cannot be used to engage the tab and pull it from the container without contacting it. Finally, it is noted that even if this device were dimensioned such that the ring could pass through to the curved portion of the device, its flat cross section would not provide the user with a comfortable gripping surface and the exertion of the upward force required to remove the ring would be likely to hurt the user's hands.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that is adapted to engage the rings of the integral seals of resealable pour spouts attached to gable top paper containers and remove these seals, that does not require the use of a rigid fulcrum point to create sufficient force to remove the seal, that will not crush the container when in use, that cannot be disengaged from the ring during use, that provides sufficient clearance between the device and the gable top when the ring is engaged so as to allow the user to grasp the devices and avoid contacting the gable top of the container during operation, that provides the user with a comfortable gripping surface, and that will not hurt the user's hands or fingers during use.